Seven Editing Tips That Make Beautiful Videos

I often struggle to give my videos the same energy and flow that Peter Mckinnon or Casey Neistat have in theirs. I would blame the fact that I might not have the gear or budget they have. But, those days are over.

Firstly, It's Really About Practice

Oftentimes I'd tell myself that I am not good at something after the first shot. But if I just gave it a couple of tries, or even the 10,000 hours to master the art, I would be able to become an expert and professionally capable to produce great video. So first tip that's not in the video is to just shoot and put it into a video. No more shooting and cluttering up your hard drives. Make something with the shots you captured.

Do It With Purpose

Often I plan a trip and get the bags packed and set off to shoot. It's for the pleasure of being out there, and for documenting moments that might not happen for the next few years, like the snow that just covered Paris like a white blanket. Sure, it's fun, but just like photography, video is also for the viewer, and the story you have put together for them to view. What is the story, and are you shooting the footage to be able to tell that story in the best way possible? I believe this is where your true style comes out. What are you capturing, what is of interest to you?

Check out the video above by This Guy Edits for seven more solid editing tips.

Wouter is a photographer, videographer and retoucher based in Paris. He's been shooting and editing fashion and lifestyle photos and videos for the past 9 years and loves sharing what's happening in tech.

1 Comment

Bottom line editing is just telling a story. Using a bunch of different elements in a harmonious way to do that. Peter and Casey are just doing what filmmakers have been doing for decades before them.
Experience is key absolutely, editing is hard..most people don't realize how hard it is. FRAMES can make or break a joke, or a dramatic moment or even just the overall flow of a piece. It's a symphony and as the editor you are the conductor making sure all the pieces that are coming together are complimenting one another.

It's probably one of the hardest crafts to to a top 7 ways to make your editing better. It's a creative craft more than a technical one and his point of "feeling the edit" is a BIG one. A lot of that comes with experience, but studying how films are edited is also a great way to learn. That's what we were doing well before Peter or Casey came onto the scene.